He said Friday, during testimony before Judge Richard Boner, he believed there was a 90 percent chance the 79-year-old was suffocated.

There was a 10 percent chance she died as a result of cardiac arrhythmia brought on by the stress of being raped and beaten, Tracy said.

When Tessneer's body arrived at Gaston Memorial Hospital on Sept. 22, 2003, it arrived battered and bruised but with no obvious signs of what led to her death.

Tracy, a pathologist, said he performed the autopsy two days after Tessneer was found dead in her Railroad Avenue home.

Donald Eugene Borders, who faces life in prison without parole if convicted, is standing trial for the rape and murder of the elderly woman.

Parties debate cause of death

In Tracy's report, he documented contusions, abrasions and hemorrhages on the 79-year-old woman's chest, abdomen, arms, legs, shoulder and feet.

In testimony that was heard while jurors were out of the room, Tracy described her body as "beaten."

He said an examination of her heart and other organs revealed a healthy woman with no serious medical conditions that could have been a result of her death.

Tracy said, by ruling out other potential causes of death and taking into account the sexual assault and bruises, he was convinced she was suffocated.

Despite Tracy's belief that Tessneer had been killed, the cause of death is listed as undetermined in both the autopsy report and on the death certificate.

Defense attorney David Teddy objected to Tracy's testimony that there was a "90 percent chance" her death was caused by suffocation, saying that the autopsy lists an undetermined cause of death and there was no conclusive evidence to prove Tracy's theory. Teddy said there was also no written report detailing Tracy's conclusions.

Judge Boner allowed Tracy to give his testimony to jurors but instructed him to refrain from using percentages.

State presents crime scene photos

Tessneer was found at her 1024 Railroad Ave. on Sept. 20, 2003 by her daughter, Libby Clark, and her son-in-law, Tommy.

The Clarks stopped by to visit, as they often did, and brought her breakfast.

They found Tessneer's home unlocked, a lamp still on and her body lying on her bed, according to Libby Clark's testimony.

Todd Vickery, who was a crime scene investigator in 2003, said he was called to Tessneer's home the day of her death.

He did a search of the home to look for anything missing or out of place, dusted for prints and took photos of the body.

The state displayed various photos for jury members to see, including the ripped telephone wires discovered outside Tessneer's home, a screen door with a tear in the mesh fabric and a cement block found underneath Tessneer's bedroom window

Tessneer's family left the courtroom before photos of her body were shown on a large screen in the front of the courtroom.

An older woman was pictured lying across the side of the bed, feet touching the floor, arms extended. There are no sheets on the bed.

A close-up photo documented a red abrasion that marked the length of her forearm.

Pale red stains spotted the egg crate, a foam pad, she was lying on.

One stain was above her outstretched arm and another one was below it.

Lying at her side was the lower plate of her dentures.

Her face is tilted toward the headboard, mouth open.

Vickery said, other than the area around Tessneer, nothing else appeared out of order.

One anomaly that caught his attention, he testified, was a photo in a frame that was tipped over on the nightstand.

﻿Additional evidence presented in court

During the course of his testimony, Vickery testified the process of collecting evidence and how it is held in a locked evidence room at Shelby Police Department.

Several cardboard boxes were brought into the courtroom and, after each one was labeled as a state exhibit, Vickery opened the sealed boxes.

Inside was another sealed evidence bag containing Vickery's signature, date, time and other identifying features.

After cutting through tape on each sealed bag, Vickery displayed each item on the stand and explained what it was.

Tessneer's pale green nightgown, a blue housecoat, the lower plate of her dentures, the foam egg crate she had been lying on and her underwear were all displayed as evidence.

Teddy questioned Vickery if the scene had been manipulated during the course of the investigation.